Tuesday, May 28, 2013

As the end of the school year approaches, many children prepare for end of grade testing. The EOGs, as many call them, may elicit fear of failure for many kids. Can they bubble what they have learned on an answer sheet?

Giving a child encouraging words can be a great gift. Taking the time to write a personal note can mean so much to a child. Approaching an evaluation with a positive attitude can go a long way toward helping a child to feel more relaxed.

These free printable notes of encouragement are specifically related to EOG testing. They are small, colorful, and can easily be tucked into a backpack, lunch box, or desk as a surprise to let a little one know that you are thinking of him or her on End of Grade testing days.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Pentecost brings with it images of tongues of fire. A fun way to bring that image to life is to make tongues of fire that can dance, swirl, and float!

This craft project is very inexpensive – the supplies I bought at a Dollar Tree could make 12 for $5.00. These "tongues" are versatile and might also be used with a dance ministry or drama, and they are easily customized for children of different sizes and abilities. The kids can develop teamwork skills as they make the craft. With very few supplies, there is little clean up time and almost no mess.
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Roll out red streamer and cut or tear to the desired length (32-inches worked well for my kids – you might want to go a little shorter for preschoolers)

Repeat two more times (total of 3 separate red strips)

Roll out orange streamer on top of the red strips and cut or tear the same length

Roll out yellow streamer on top of the red/orange strips and cut or tear the same length

Stack the three layers together (total of 9 strips together)

Fold the edge of the 9 strips together over the edge of the bracelet and staple 2-3 times

That's it. Encourage the children to use their imagination as they move their tongues of fire and their bodies. Add some Pentecost music and you'll quickly have flaming tongues that the kids can enjoy as they learn about the Bible in a fresh and new way!

About Me

I currently serve as a Faith Community Nurse at a local church. This is an ever-changing role in which I visit one-on-one with clients, provide education and advocacy, develop fitness challenges and lead group exercise classes, coordinate an annual health fair, and encourage health promotion and disease prevention within the community.
Before becoming a FCN, I worked as a staff nurse at a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit in a large teaching hospital for 17 1/2 years and have been teaching group exercise since 1999.
I developed the first online curriculum for nurse aides in North Carolina and still develop and teach some online classes for a local community college.